Contraband

Yet another enjoyable time killer popcorn movie. You kind of have to know what to expect with movies released in the months before May, and when they hit the rental shelves 4 months later, we just hope it will be good entertainment for the hard earned dollar we spend on it. I did not know a lot about this film, but what I did know made it an easy decision to watch. The cast alone. Mark Wahlberg, Kate Beckinsale, Giovanni Ribisi, and Ben Foster. We get a lot of info quickly about Chris' (Wahlberg) past. This  type of plot development lends itself to a movie like this, so they can fill their time with action and plots, rather than back story. Chris was a smuggler. Actually, he was the best, but he put that behind him. He is married with kids and a legitimate business. No need to fret on the past. His brother in law however is not that smart and when he dumps his load, much like Han Solo did to Jabba the Hut, things turn very badly. Carbonite doesn't exist yet, so death is the consequence for not delivery the goods to the dealer. Unfortunately in an ass backwards world of thuggery and drugs, the debt he owes will not die with him. It is absorbed by next of kin which is Chris and his family. Ribisi plays said Dealer and with his high pitched voice, greased back hair, grisley beard, and neck tattoos he is scary as hell, but the twist is what brings it full circle. I liked the twist, because it made it way more intense. Chris must go on a tanker to Panama and smuggler enough Contraband back into the states to cover the debt. What's the saying? anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. This turns an hour long film into an hour and forty very enjoyable minutes. Chris must protect his family at all costs, but also not get caught, which would land him in jail for life. Very fun, and sometimes extremely intense, I recommend this to any fans of Wahlberg's catalog of films. This falls in line with the style of movies he does, so enjoy.

NBM rates Contraband - Awesome

Man on a Ledge

I love how quickly movies must come to DVD now to help recoup production losses. Gives all of us the opportunity to see it at home 3 months after its initial theater run. This film is no different. I wanted to see it, but never found the time. This is the epitome of a "popcorn movie". Hard not to enjoy, easy to follow, wraps up quickly and neatly. It does not blow your mind or change your thought process about life. It is merely entertainment when you have an hour and forty minutes to kill. Luckily for us it has a stellar cast. Well, maybe not stellar, but above average for sure. Literally 45 minutes are spent watching this "suicide jumper" out on a ledge, but there is a bigger picture. Nick Cassidy (Worthington) is an ex cop looking at 25 years in the klink for stealing a $40 million dollar diamond that he says he didn't steal. Now he is out to prove his innocence. The plot is funny. He now is out to really steal the diamond he never actually took. It's all a conspiracy involving a jeweling mogul (Ed Harris) and some dirty cops. He needs to figure out why they are throwing the book at him and he brews the perfect storm for a heist. His Brother, Joey (Jamie Bell) helps with the heist and though it doesn't change what Ocean's 11 or The Inside Man did, it is enjoyable. Strong performances by Edward Burns, Anthony Mackie, and Elizabeth Banks make this definitely worth watching.


NBM rates Man on a Ledge right in the middle at - Awesome

The Company Men

I love when I record something 6 months ago to finally watch it yesterday. What I love even more is when the film is excellent and I could have seen it 6 months earlier. This is another rare film where the critics rate it higher than users on RT and after watching it, I know exactly why. The reality of it. The subject matter had to hit really close to home for many Americans who lost their jobs during the economic failure a few years back. Bobby (Ben Affleck) is great at what he does. $120K + Bonus and incentives good, then like a fart in the wind, it's all gone. He and most everyone else in his department are fired without warning. Big businesses cutting back to make their bottom line more appealing for a possible sell out. Putting hundreds of people out of a job in order to pad the bank accounts of the few "higher ups". Greed at its finest. Bobby is prideful to say the least. Loves his Porsche, his million dollar home, his country club status and he doesn't want to give any of it up. Selfish man considering he has a wife and 2 kids to think about. Luckily he is married to the best woman alive. I mean in the history of EVER. I don't think this woman exists. That is why this film ultimately fall in the fiction category. She is exactly what he needs after 3 months of job searching when the severance is all gone. She is a realist who knows Family is number 1 and possessions are not important. It is funny what a 12 year old is able to teach a grown ass man when it comes to selfishness and how to see the bigger picture. As much as this is an Affleck vehicle, the list of stars in it flabbergasted me. Tommy Lee Jones is his Boss who had nothing to do with him being let go. Chris Cooper is a sad sack with 30 years with the company. Maria Bello is the brass in charge of firing people and yes her nipples do make a brief appearance as usual. Kevin Costner (Devil Anse Hatfield) is Bobby's Brother in Law/ Comic Relief, and Craig T. Nelson, aka Coach, is the Big Guy in charge, making sure he has plenty of money for himself. A really depressing film that is also very enjoyable to watch. I've been a bit of an Affleck fan of late, and this is no different. He does a great job as a man broken, looking for the mend, and trying to keep it together for everyone's sake. The underlying message is very clear, but it doesn't matter. Great film that should not collect dust on anyone's DVR for any amount of time let alone 6 months.


NBM rates The Company Men - Awesome

Hatfields & McCoys (Mini Series)

I don't believe I have ever written about a TV series, but this was no ordinary series. It was hyped and hocked and shoved down our throats for a month, and then it came and went. It came and went in a 3 day period, yet I and I'm sure you, cannot stop thinking about it. To say it was good or even great would be disrespectful for a story that took up over 6 hours of our time. Well, 4.5 hours for those of us with a DVR. I was looking forward to a little American history lesson starring two greats. Bill Paxton as Randall McCoy and Kevin Costner as Devil Anse Hatfield. The lore of these two are as American as it gets. Most of us know these two families spent their existence in a war with each other, often killing members of each other's clan, but no one I talked to really knew why. It starts us out during the civil war where Randall and Anse or actually friends. They watch each other's backs and then out of the blue, Anse abandons his men to return home. From here he goes on with his life, while Randall ends up as prisoner of the north to return some time later. Things are never the same between them and the lines are very blurry as to what is fueling the hatred. At first it was just petty stuff, but after a while it is pure hate that gets passed to the next generation who go to even more extreme measures to display their true feeling for the other family. Basically it turns into 4 hours of senseless murder. Trials, lawsuits, and the over seeing judge is Wall Hatfield (Powers Booth). Talk about the opposite of a blindfolded justice. Randall and Anse hardly go after each other. It's their kids that have turned a dispute into an all out war. The writing and flow is so good, the whole series could be watched in an afternoon. When Monday's episode was over I was unhappy I had to wait 22 hours to see more. Same feeling on Tuesday night, and when it concluded on Wednesday night I didn't know what to do with myself. It is that good. The way the writing is done (Perfectly) we as an audience cannot pick a side. When we begin to lean toward the McCoys being in the right, they do something unforgivable. Truth be told, everyone is a victim and no one is a victim. Just a bunch of rednecks who don't know how to use their words and wisdom instead of guns and knives. As much as this series is fueled by Kevin Costner, it is actually an unrecognizable Tom Berenger that steals the show as Uncle Jim Hatfield. He is the baddest of either group. He has no remorse for any of his actions and to him it is all justified because their name is McCoy. I will also add that this series had one of the best TV scenes of all time. It is when Anse is having a talk with his son Johnsie while fishing. It is intense and very hard to get through, and though I am sure it was for entertainment value only, you have to appreciate that scene for all it represents. I love stories like this, but I also wonder what was added in for entertainment purposes. I wonder if the feud began over Anse's defection from his southern brothers in arms during the Civil War, or if it was really about the land dispute, or if it was a perfect storm of several factors that led to a lifetime of war and pain. In the end we learn a lot about America's most notorious feud. I believe it is even better know than the EAST COAST / WEST COAST feud between Tupac and Biggie. I was extremely happy to read that Monday's premier episode was the most watched event (non sport related) in over 14 years at 13.8 million viewers only to break its own record with Wednesday's conclusion with roughly 14.1 million viewers. Nice. There is nothing not to like about this mini series. It is made by The History Channel and available On Demand and DVD.


NBM rates Hatfields & McCoys - A Work of TV Art

Acolytes

This is an Australian film that no one has ever heard of, so leave it to my Father (who doesn't watch all that many movies) to be the one who has seen it and WILL NOT SHUT UP about it. One thing you should know about him, is he lives on the IFC. That is the Independent Film Channel. I have the utmost respect for that as I am a HUGE  advocate for indie film. After having the sentence "Have you watched Acolytes yet?" shoved down my throat for weeks as if it is on every channel all day long due to its popularity, I found a copy for $2. It is a thriller in every sense of the word. My favorite genre of film and extremely difficult to pull off. Thriller seems to be a mash up between Drama, Horror, and Slasher and if done right it is none of these. If my father had known actors better, as I do, he could have told me Joel Edgerton stars and that would have lit a fire under my butt. He is from last year's Warrior. In Acolytes he plays a serial killer whose secret is found out by a group of teenagers. Simple enough, call the cops and have him arrested...too easy. Why not blackmail the psycho? Good idea. These kids actually hire him to kill a guy who has bullied them their whole lives in exchange for their silence. From here the cat and mouse begins. It is a short film (90 minutes) that is hard to understand at times times due to thick Aussie accents, but to say it is a nail biter is not doing it justice. At one point I looked over at my Wife, who I knew was hating every second of it, only to find out she was digging out her cuticles with her fingernails. I was wrong. She couldn't look away. Acolytes did its job as a Thriller. Where it goes from here is for me to know and you to find out. Which I'm sure will never happen since I am sure I own the only copy on U.S. soil. 
      I am thinking about doing a pay it forward with the DVD. I bought it for $2, and I know at least 2 people that want to see it. I will imprint the inside cover with an email address and instructions of what to do with it after you watch it. Give it to someone you know will enjoy it. Every one who sees it will email me their name and zip code and we can see how far it travels and how many people watch it. What do ya think about that plan? Comment below.


NBM rates Acolytes - Awesome

Snow White and the Huntsman

I have been excited about this movie for some time now. The more and more footage they released, the more I was angsty for June 1st to arrive as I am very limited as to how often I can actually get to the movies these days. Well today was the day, and though it was not "The Greatest Film of the Year" it was rather enjoyable for me. I do understand why it has not fared well on RT leaving it at an even split between likers and haters. It is an origin story that must deliver enough history to not feel choppy or empty, all the while it cannot be overly long. Let's face it, we are not prepared to see Lord of the Rings run time when it comes to Snow White. At 2 hours 7 minutes, it does a great job of getting that first 18 years out of the way of the story at hand. Most of the opening is narrated by The Huntsman (Hemsworth), to fill us all in with as few visuals and screen time as possible so we can have a clear picture of everyone's motives leading into the hunt. The trailers are so fast for this film, all of us should be well aware of what it is about. We are merely going to be wowed by visuals and to see how it all pans out. The Evil Queen (Theron) has the ability to stay young forever by sucking the youth out of young people. When she is informed that one particular girl will pass her in the fairest department ultimately leading to her demise, she will not let this happen. Especially with the alternative she is given. Kill Snow White and become immortal. Not a tough decision. This is when the movie begins to get good. Then we have about an hour and of running and chasing. The dark forest is the best part of the film and I wish they could've stayed there longer to experience the horror within. It had several shout outs to other films in my opinion. The first is Neverending Story (ATREYU!!!!), then it begins to feel like the fire swamp from The Princess Bride, and lastly Batman Begins. That one may throw you, but that refers to the hallucinogen effect some of the plants emit. The Troll (pictured above) was the coolest, but the story must progress. Onward and upward. I am going to talk about why the film was great as opposed to discussing any plot points. I pretty much gave the whole plot to you already. All movies today are special effects heavy, and in my opinion if done poorly, it can ruin a movie. The effects in SWATHuntsman are some of the best I have ever seen, if not the absolute best. It relies a lot on fantasy and creatures that do not exist and to make them as real as they were is a feat. I could not believe the flawlessness of it all, and that takes us to the Dwarfs. You know from the Disney classic "Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs." The funny thing here is none of the actor portraying them are actually little people. I guess Willow is out of a job. He was the go to guy when small stature was necessary, but CG put him out of a job. Anyway, of the 7 I recognized 5, and I was pleasantly surprised. Nick Frost (Ed from Shaun of the Dead), Ian McShane (Deadwood), Tobey Jones (I don't know why I know him), Bob Hoskins (Roger Rabbit), and Ray Winstone (Indy Jones/Crystal Skull) all did a superb job. They had 2 roles. Little warriors and comic relief, although the comedy was few and far between, they were a rather enjoyable bunch. There is not a lot I can say about this film that is negative. It told a story. It twisted what we grew up with and added lots of flair. I do feel I built it up in my head to much, there is no way it could live up, but it sure came close. The battles were awesome, and the fights were brilliant, and Charlize was sexy scary. Great role for her. I am not a Kristen Stewart fan, but I made it through 2 hours without throwing up in my lap, so I guess she was bearable, and of course Thor was his usual self...only drunker. If you had desire to see this before today, then you will enjoy it. If you are on the fence, then I believe it is a crap shoot for you. If you have no desire to see it, then don't. It doesn't deliver any mind blowing features everyone must witness now in case the world ends tomorrow.


NBM rates Snow White and the Huntsman - Awesonomenal
Phenomenal for acting and CG
Awesome for story. We do know 100% of the plot before the opening credits even roll. 

Melancholia

This is one review I do not want to write. I don't know how to tell you what I felt about it, while at the same time discouraging any of you from watching it. There are rarely films that I watch that I feel have absolutely no point. Melancholia is one of those films. However, I enjoyed it somewhat. Maybe it's my mentality toward the norm. The status quo if you will. I love to like things that everyone else doesn't get or plain out hate. It makes me feel superior in a way to know that I get "it" whatever that may be. The title however is a perfect match for my final emotion when the credits ran. I expected this great artsy film about a woman who had infinite knowledge about the Universe and all living things. Not the case. The trailer made it seem like Justine (Dunst) was a medium of sorts. She was somehow connected to the universe and maybe she had an outlook beyond the standard human knowledge. Turns out she may or may not. It actually doesn't let us know anything about her, except for the fact that she is completely Bat S#!+ crazy. We are never given an inside view of why everyone pussyfoots around her. No one wants to upset her, or she may have an incident. The first 35 minutes of the film is exactly as it should be. No frills, one camera, dialog driven, indie film that makes me glad I am watching it. The through a turn of events, a lack of explanation, and a cauldron of misconception it kind of derails. I will say this. If you have any inkling to see Melancholia, watch the opening 8 minutes which is filled with random images that move at an alarmingly slow motion, while Beethoven's 9th plays in the background. That song is already dramatic and depressing, but when paired with the images, it almost suicidal. If you get past that, you will enjoy the next half hour. After that, it's a crap shoot. Melancholia actually is referring to a planet on a course to glide by Earth in a wonderment of beauty never before seen. However, there may be a slight chance it hits Earth destroying all life. The brightest spot in the film is Kiefer Sutherland's character. He is brilliant in his angriness. John Hurt is also brilliant as Justine's Father who may or may not be insane. It is very strange, and I don't know anyone who would like it. Slightly enjoy it maybe, but like it is unlikely. I also feel if any of my readers went out and rented it, they would blame me solely for their current state of unhappiness.


NBM rates Melancholia - Good

The Avengers

To say that The Avengers has been anticipated for a while now is under selling it. Think about it. We first heard about "The Avengers Initiative" in 2007 after the credits in Iron Man. That's half a decade ago, and worth the wait. Way to not rush through Marvel. Patience is key when dealing with this many parameters. At 2 hours 22 minutes, I believe it is the longest Marvel film to date, and I did not want it to end. The reason I feel it worked so well at that run time is the fact we need little to no character development. We know the players through years of individual releases from Thor to Captain America and Iron Man we get all the info we need, so the story can get right down to it. I had heard there some comedy, no doubt from group smart ass Tony Stark, but a lot of times the entire theater was rolling. It really is 30% pure comedy. We all know the gist of the film from hours of promotion, TV ads, internet clips, Interviews, Spoilers, and common knowledge of the series, but it is so much fun to see it on the BIG screen. I wanna see it again already. There is really not a lot to say about it, except it is perfect in every way. As a film it is like Captain America in the sense that it was birthed out of Love to be the absolute best it could be. When Loki (Thor's evil brother) comes to Earth to take over, Nick Fury takes issue with this. This is when The Avengers are brought together for the first time. The Avengers looks good on paper as a resort to thwart terrorism, but too many egos is nothing but a bad combination. The whole first half of the film is them getting to know each other and realizing they don't like each other. Captain America is technically a senior citizen, so those jokes are slow pitches, and some of the team get along, but like High School, there will always be divided groups. Tony and Banner get along because they speak the same language. Tech and Science. Thor feels he is above everyone, demigod and all. Hawkeye and Black Widow are on the same page, but it is still a disaster. Loki is a force not of this world and other than Thor, no one knows how to deal with him. He is bringing an alien army, and he feels The Avengers are no match, but little does he know. The ultimate battle between the two worlds is very reminiscent of Transformers 3, but it doesn't matter. It is pure awesomeness. The action and direction is top notch and in a CG world, it is very easy to make it look like crap. Not the case here. It is perfect. I also want to discuss the character with the most controversy. Bruce Banner/Hulk. Mark Ruffalo is the third actor to take on Banner, and he is my favorite as the character. I love Ruffalo anyway, but I actually thought Eric Bana was a good cast for the part, unfortunately it was a HORRID script. Then Edward Norton was brilliant, but Ruffalo carries a brooding, dark attitude better than Norton did or could in my opinion. Now on to The Hulk. This is the biggest love it/ hate it character due to the difficulty of portrayal. He is 100% computer generated and until now he never looked real. This is the first Hulk, where we believe he is part of this team. He doesn't look disconnected or cartoony. He is everyone's favorite because of the shear force and destruction he is capable of. SPOILER - When Hulk and Thor beat the crap out of each other, it is AWESOME - Mind Blowing even. I so wanted Hulk to have a lot of screen time and be a viable character, and boy was he. He also provides one of the biggest laughs of the film. When The Avengers finally figure it out, they are somewhat on the same page. Luckily Captain takes over as the only one with military training and strategic battle planning knowledge, and he gets his ducks in a row. I honestly cannot determine what I liked more. The Avengers beating the snot out of each other at the beginning of the film, or fighting the enemy at the end. It has to be the end, because we love to see the good guys win. The last thing I will say is to PAY ATTENTION to the greatest cross movie reference in this film. Listen closely when Iron Man is gonna fly Hawkeye to the skyline. Literally LMAO at the joke. Oh ya and stay through the credits....all the way through. Trust me, It is a brilliantly, silently, hilarious 60 seconds that you will appreciate.


NBM Rates The Avengers - A Cinematic Work of Art

The Cabin in the Woods

ZIP. This is the amount of will I had to watch this up until Late Thursday night when I first watched the trailer. I read a few things and saw where RT had it at a staggering 93%, then I felt more than intrigue. I will say this film combines several genre's, but Horror still wins out as the majority genre. I had heard Comedy, Thriller, Twists, and more. What I was expecting, Tucker and Dale/ SOTD, was not necessarily the case. It did have remnants of those films, along with The Truman Show (and I'm pretty sure the writers throw that reference right in our face), but it really had a very predictable ending...but I will say I was still guessing as to how it would end right up until the actual end. It really started out very surprising to me. First off, I had no idea Bradley Whitford and Richard Jenkins would play an intricate part in the comedy aspect of this film. Those two are always welcome in any film. Then we have Thor, Chris Hemsworth, in a surprising role coming off of Thor and also Huntsman. He gets to be the goofy Jock, and he does very well at it. Cabin is 2 movies. The first half is a completely different film from the second half. I think I would have liked it better than I did if it could have continued the first half theme through the credits, but I will say the u turn it takes, also is fun to watch. Bloody as all, but fun. This is proving difficult to write without spoilers, but I will do my best. When these 5 friends go on vaca to The Cabin, they expect nothing more than a quiet weekend, but then they accidentally open pandora's box. Now they must fight for their lives and figure out what is going on. To be able to watch someone's head get ripped off one minute, then laugh out laugh at a quip the next is just good writing. It does this the whole movie. Extreme violence to extreme comedy in back to back scenes. Very well done in that aspect. Cabin also is not short on tributes to other films of the genre. I saw a similarity to The Ring, and I am 99% sure the Underworld Lycan is on screen, but I must say the unicorn is my favorite part. No lie, Unicorn!! We are given the ultimate goal of the film in a descriptive speech from everyone's Hollywood Sci-Fi Queen (Not gonna Spoil it), and then the film ends. I' am not sure I agree with the RT score on this. I cannot seem to figure out why critics LOVE some films and HATE others, when essentially they are the same. I did enjoy it, and it was very well written. I will end this by saying I HATE Horror films and Slasher films, but this is not either. This was good even though it had those aspects much of the time. 
I will watch it again once on video to see if I missed any of the jokes. 
NBM rates The Cabin in the Woods - Awesome

Goon

Once again I was privileged to see a movie from the comfort of my own home, vodka in hand, while everyone else who wants to see it must go to an alcohol free theater. I win. Besides that, Magnet Production company does something that is super brilliant. They release their films On Demand 1 month prior to a nation wide release, and then 2 days before that release it is free to view for one night only on HDNET. I have been able to watch some great films and pass along the word that they are definitely worth the time. Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil was the first movie I saw early and as brilliant as it was, Goon is just as good and may be a tad bit better all around. Goon is based on a true story. Very loosely based,  but nonetheless. It is the story of Doug Glatt (Sean William Scott). He is a nobody in a family of doctors. He is dumb, and he knows it. What he doesn't know is how valuable he could be to a third rate amateur league, local hockey team. When he is presented with 2 options while watching a game, he chooses to demolish a player who enters the stands, rather than to get his ass beat. The film is extremely well written, with the exception that some of the foul language is completely unnecessary. The dialog stands on its own, and the film uses lots of physical comedy to get the point across, so although I LOVE Jay Baruchel, most of his dialog took away from the film. When Doug gets a call from the Hockey coach to come try out, he figures why not. He can't skate at all, and he has never played hockey, but he can fight. He will become the teams enforcer. An Enforcer is put on the ice to intimidate and take players out of the game by means of a cracked skull or what have you. He spends 90% of his time in the penalty box, which means he is doing his job. The fight scenes are indescribably good. I have seen lots of fight scenes in films, but some of these had me laughing to tears, and it was literally a one punch fight. It gets bloody at times, but it's realistic. The director does a superb job at making this violence funny. Luckily for the viewer, the film also has heart and a really good plot about one man trying to find his place in this world. Doug displays the ultimate amount of loyalty for his team, and his character seems unchangeable. The film is not only about the beginning of Doug's career as an enforcer, but it also revolves around another enforcer's career coming to an end. Ross Rhea (Liev Schreiber) is an enforcer on the brink of retirement, but his eye has been caught by the new comer Doug. He respects Doug, and Doug him, but it is inevitable. They must fight. A passing of the torch of sorts that, oddly enough, both are looking forward to. Doug is, because he is gonna prove he fears nothing, and Ross is, because no one has ever NOT been afraid of him. It is a sweet movie, which is weird to say about this subject matter. I was blown away at how good Goon really turned out to be. The perfect match of physical action, verbal comedy, and physical comedy - Goon is a Win, Win, Win.

NBM rates Goon Phenomenal